New Photo Tricks with Old Friends

The way it works most of the time is..  you get some nice light, but you just need to find something interesting to put in there with it.
It promised to be a nice sunset last night, so Wendy and I headed out to Old Friends Retirement to find some unsuspecting subjects. We found the perfect volunteer in Marquetry.

A little more about Marquetry from the Bloodhorse, "Bred by Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, Marquetry raced for Juddmonte alone and in various partnerships. He captured three grade I stakes, including the 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup, and retired with earnings of $2,857,886."
Read more here.

Marquetry at Old Friends. Photo: Matt Wooley, Aperture, F/5 @ ISO 800, 1/1000th, -1/3 EV, 300mm.

 Marquetry was a more than willing to have his picture taken. I can't really recommend getting out in the paddock with a stallion you don't know, but the 24 year old retiree followed me around like a puppy dog. Well.. I had mints.

I started off with a long lens, the 300mm in the above picture, to compress and control the background. I was 60 feet away for this shot.





The obvious key to good backlighting is to have the subject somewhere between the camera and the light source. But what really makes the backlighting effect work is to ALSO find a dark background.
In this case, the sun is coming in over the dark trees, hitting the horse from behind. Be careful you don't let the direct sun hit your lens, use a lens hood to control flare.

I then went to the other extreme with the 16-35mm. My thought with the wide angle was to "push in tight and shoot wide" as Joe McNally  would say.

Marquetry at Old Friends. Photo: Matt Wooley, Aperture, F/8 @ ISO 800, 1/1600th, -1/3 EV, 16mm.

By pushing in tight with the wide angle lens, you give your subject prominence. I've added to that effect by shooting from a low perspective, placing the subject partly above the horizon line. The deep Aperture, and negative Exposure Value, give me nice color.

Remember to "look both ways". As the sun drops a little lower, I use the wide angle to get a little color from the sun. I'm still at f/8 and -2/3 for this shot. 

Marquetry at Old Friends. Photo: Matt Wooley, Aperture, F/8 @ ISO 800, 1/800th, -2/3 EV, 24mm.

Again, I push in tight and pop the horse above the horizon line. I was about 6 feet from Marquetry for this shot. The sun is not so hot now and partly obscured, so with the sun hitting the lens I get some "creative" lens flare.

Don't be afraid to try things to see what works. I shot over 250 frames in about 20 minutes, and ended up with 9 that I liked well enough to put up on the EquiSport Photos website.

Marquetry at Old Friends. Photo: Matt Wooley, Aperture, F/8 @ ISO 800, 1/1000th, -2/3 EV, 24mm.

Meanwhile, Wendy was focusing on Afternoon Deelites.

From the Bloodhorse, "During his racing career, Afternoon Deelites was trained by Richard Mandella for owner Burt Bacharach. He was an instant success, winning his first three starts as a 2-year-old, including the Hollywood Futurity (gr. I) and Hollywood Preview Breeders’ Cup Stakes (gr. III)."

Read more here.

Afternoon Deelites at Old Friends. Photo: Wendy Wooley, Aperture, f/5.6 @ ISO 500, 1/500th, -1/3 EV, 100mm

Don't think you have to quit shooting just because the sun has set. The twilight sky makes a golden opportunity for a story telling silhouette shot. Here Wendy has "exposed for the sky" by locking in a "fast enough" shutter speed. The negative Exposure Value helps add color.

Learn to use the "Exposure Lock" button on your camera to expose for the sky. While in Aperture Mode, aim the camera at the sky, press the Exposure Lock button, then recompose your frame and take the shot. The result will be an image that is correctly exposed for the bright part of the frame, (the sky), and everything else rendered as silhouette.

Capture the Light Equine is pleased to announce our Fall Bluegrass Equine Photography Workshop!
We had such positive response from our Spring Workshop, we are doing it again November 1-3. Conveniently planned for the week before the Breeder's Cup, this class will be limited to 9 participants with 3 EquiSport instructors. We will visit some pretty cool spots in the Bluegrass for equine photography, like Old Friends, Keeneland, Kenny McPeek's training center, and Spendthrift Farm. Check out the details and drop us a line!

Hip Ideas for Horse Sales

Start to finish, the Fasig Tipton Sale in Lexington proved to be a marathon session for horse and human. Wendy and I spent a couple of long days on behalf of a client, documenting the color and commerce of the sales.
Our photos had to tell a story from show ring to sales ring. Here's what we ended up with.
 
Always focusing on key horses for the client, we started in the barn area. The horses, or "hip numbers" are led in front of prospective buyers, which also provides us the opportunity for a shot of the scene.

Hip #124 Orientate - Storm Strip '10, Photo: Wendy Wooley, Aperture Priority, f/3.5 @ ISO 400, 1/2500, 0EV, 100mm

 During slower periods, we shot conformations and head shots. These guys are yearlings, and we are in a VERY distracting environment. So don't have the ability to set the feet, they need to be "walked into" conformation. An experienced groom is essential for getting good results. Wendy is just off camera left, getting the horse's attention.

Hip #221, Giacomo-Classy Assets '10, Photo: Matt Wooley, Aperture Priority, f/4 @ISO 250, 1/800, EV -1/3, 135mm

My main thought here is to blur out the background, so I'm shooting in Aperture Priority at f/4. I adjust the ISO to get a shutter speed that is "fast enough". Notice also that I chose a fairly long focal length with my trusty 70-200 f/2.8 for compression, and keep my perspective from a low angle to give the horse added prominence.

While we are at it, we grab a head shot, also at f/4.

Hip #221, Giacomo-Classy Assets '10, Photo: Matt Wooley, Aperture Priority, f/4 @ISO 250, 1/1000, EV -1/3, 185mm

Tuesday is Sales day, and we know it's going to be a long one.
Wendy sets up in the back of the sales ring on a tripod and an 85mm. She avoids "Camera Shake" by using a Cable Shutter Release so she never has to touch the camera while taking a picture.

Hip #166 Notional - Your's Truly '10, Photo: Wendy Wooley, Manual Mode, 1/200 @ f/2, ISO 1600, 85mm

I tend to roam around getting different perspectives. I'm still using the 70-200mm, but I crank the ISO way up, knowing the Canon Mark IV will reduce the noise.
I set the camera to AI Servo focusing and Burst mode. I also switch on the Image Stabilization (IS) on the lens. The IS helps stop Camera Shake for me since I'm handholding the camera, but it will not stop a moving subject. So I take a burst of shots as the horse pauses.

Hip #231 Malibu Moon - Dance darling '10, Photo: Matt Wooley, Manual Mode, 1/200 @ f/3.2, ISO 2000, 200mm

We always shoot in low light (or flash) conditions in Manual Mode. We want to control both the Aperture and Shutter Speed. Adjusting the ISO gives the correct Exposure. The exposure meter might be reading -2/3 through the viewfinder... but that is the correct exposure, that's what it looks like in the room.

Those are a couple of ideas for capturing the feel of the Horse Sales. Send in a comment or question if you have one, and I will get an answer to you.

Capture the Light Equine is pleased to announce our Fall Bluegrass Equine Photography Workshop!
We had such positive response from our Spring Workshop, we are doing it again November 1-3. Conveniently planned for the week before the Breeder's Cup, this class will be limited to 9 participants with 3 EquiSport instructors. We will visit some pretty cool spots in the Bluegrass for equine photography, like Old Friends, Keeneland, Kenny McPeek's training center, and Spendthrift Farm. Check out the details and drop us a line!

Awesome Photo Shoot!

Awesome Again that is.
Adena Springs Farm, one of our favorite clients, called us in need of some fresh Stallion photos. It seems it was time to update "The Look". Not that the Stallions don't speak for themselves, Adena has been the leading Thoroughbred breeder worldwide for about the last decade.
So, over the past couple of weeks, Wendy and I have made a half-dozen trips out to the Paris, Kentucky farm. Bill Drury, the stallion manager is always happy to see the photographers coming...lol.
It only means that the boys need to get their baths, dried off, manes brushed, tails pulled, hooves dressed and halters cleaned. All pimped out for pictures. For 6 stallions. The crew really loves it when we show up.

Awesome Again at Adena 6.30.2011. Photo: Matt Wooley Aperture Priority, f/8 @ ISO 500, 1/800th, 0EV, 200mm

We were looking for something a little different than we had done before. I'm learning that just because I might be decent at a certain shot, doesn't mean it is for everyone. Each farm wants to have their own "look".
After supplying a few different ideas, the farm chose the distant barn shot as an iconic Adena symbol. I'm working in Aperture Priority here at f/8. I don't care what the shutter speed is, as long as it's "fast enough". My goal, with f/8, is to have a good depth of field and good color.
With my in-camera EV set at 0, I am actually underexposing the horse, but I have good color in the sky and background. I know that I can selectively bring back the detail of the horse in Lightroom with the adjustment brush. I shoot EVERYTHING in RAW, by the way.

I added about 1/2 stop of Exposure, and some Brightness to the horse in Lightroom.

Wendy and I shoot a few different scenes for each horse to give our client some choices. Between us we take about 300 shots of each horse in hopes of putting 15-20 in a gallery for the client. This often takes multiple trips to the farm.

Awesome Again being led out to the paddock. Photo: Matt Wooley, f/5 @ ISO 400, 1/1600th, -1/3 EV, 300mm.

The paddock shots are our favorite. Wendy is shooting on a ladder from one corner with her 500 f/4 and I'm shooting from another angle with a 300 f/2.8. I'm still in Aperture Priority for this, to blur the background a little more... and I bump up the ISO so the Shutter Speed is "fast enough". We get a variety of head-on and side shots, both vertical and horizontal, while trying to eliminate any distracting backgrounds.

Awesome Again paddock shot. Photo: Matt Wooley, f/5 @ ISO 400, 1/1600th, 0 EV, 300mm.

One of my hardest lessons has been learning to NOT crop my images too tight (see above). The client needs room to add text in an ad, or they may want it cropped differently. They can judge the merits of the photo without me cropping it in tight.

On a separate trip we photographed Einstein's new Conformation shot. After supplying the client several proofs, the shot below was selected. I removed the horse's shank and a background driveway from the finished picture in Photoshop.

Einstein conformation. Photo: Matt Wooley, f/5 @ ISO 320, 1/1600th, 0 EV, 100mm.

 I shoot conformations in Aperture as well. F/4 to F/5 is a good depth of field to insure sharpness front to back on the horse, while blurring the background so the horse pops out.

We also shot a portrait of Einstein. This is the "Old Style" that the farm is moving away from.

Einstein portrait. Photo: Matt Wooley, f/5 @ ISO 320, 1/500th, -1 2/3 EV, 115mm.

We placed the horse in front of the doorway to the breeding shed, just out in the sunshine. The Negative Exposure Value makes the already dark background go black.
In both shots above Wendy is holding a gold reflector to throw a little light into key areas.

We love to hear your comments! Or if you have a question, send it in and I will try to answer it.

Capture the Light Equine is pleased to announce our Fall Bluegrass Equine Photography Workshop!
We had such positive response from our Spring Workshop, we are doing it again November 1-3. Conveniently planned for the week before the Breeder's Cup, this class will be limited to 9 participants with 3 EquiSport instructors. We will visit some pretty cool spots in the Bluegrass for equine photography, like Old Friends, Keeneland, Kenny McPeek's training center, and Spendthrift Farm. Check out the details and drop us a line!